Upper Des Moines Opportunity

What Upper Des Moines Opportunity does

Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. (UDMO) is a nonprofit community action agency headquartered in Graettinger, Iowa, established in 1964 under the federal Economic Opportunity Act as part of the national War on Poverty initiative. UDMO delivers a portfolio of social service programs across 12 primary counties in Northwest and North Central Iowa (Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Hamilton, Humboldt, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Webster, and Wright), covering more than 6,000 square miles. In fiscal year 2025, the agency served 16,228 individuals across 7,918 households and is supported by more than 1,000 volunteers annually. UDMO operates as one of 16 community action agencies in Iowa and one of approximately 1,000 nationally.

The agency's core service lines fall into five program areas: Early Childhood Education (Head Start Preschool, Early Head Start), Energy Assistance (LIHEAP and Weatherization), Housing (YHDP, ESG, IHPF, RSA, TBRA, and coordinated entry), Health & Nutrition (Food Pantry, CACFP, 1st Five developmental screening, and Free Clinic), and Children & Family Support (CARES resource navigation, MIECHV, FaDSS, and KIDS home visitation). Services are delivered through a network of 12 county outreach offices, Head Start centers, home-based visits, and food pantry sites, with no proprietary technology platform underpinning service delivery. The agency maintains standard operational systems including an employee portal, board portal, and Policy Council portal.

UDMO's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. The organization is primarily financed through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Head Start, LIHEAP), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (housing programs), and USDA (CACFP), as well as state funding through the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and the Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care. A secondary funding stream comes from private donations and planned giving. All programs are delivered free of charge to eligible low-income participants, with eligibility tied to federal poverty-level thresholds and county residency. UDMO is governed by a 16-member tripartite Board of Directors comprising public officials, client representatives, and private-sector members.

Name

Upper Des Moines Opportunity

Legal name

Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc.

Website

https://udmo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Upper Des Moines Opportunity is a nonprofit community action agency founded in 1964 that delivers Head Start, LIHEAP, weatherization, housing, food, and family support services to low-income residents across 12 counties in Northwest and North Central Iowa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Housing Services (62422), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG)

Keywords

• Community action services
• Early childhood education
• Energy assistance programs
• Housing assistance services
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Graettinger

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants: UDMO receives significant funding from federal programs including Head Start (Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), LIHEAP (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), and housing programs (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development).
2. State Government Funding: Funding from Iowa state agencies including Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care for various social service programs.
3. Donations and Contributions: Private donations from individuals and organizations supporting the organization's mission. The agency accepts planned or legacy giving and financial donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UDMO is a nonprofit community action agency that delivers a portfolio of federally and state-funded social service programs to low-income individuals and families across 12 counties in Northwest and North Central Iowa. Core offerings include early childhood education (Head Start/Early Head Start), home energy assistance (LIHEAP) and Weatherization, housing and homelessness programs, food pantry and CACFP nutrition programs, and home visitation family development services (MIECHV, FaDSS, KIDS, CARES). All programs are provided free of charge to eligible participants who meet federal poverty guidelines.

Product overview

Upper Des Moines Opportunity is a nonprofit community action agency providing social services across Northwest and North Central Iowa. Rather than a technology product, UDMO offers a portfolio of federally and state-funded social service programs organized around five core areas: Early Childhood Education (Head Start/Early Head Start), Energy Assistance (LIHEAP, Weatherization), Housing, Health & Nutrition (Food Pantry, CACFP, 1st Five, Free Clinic), and Children & Families support programs (CARES, MIECHV, FaDSS, KIDS). These programs operate through 12 county outreach offices serving families with income at or below federal poverty guidelines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Head Start Preschool

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 16,228 individuals in 7,918 households during fiscal year 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Iowa Finance AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUDMO Housing Program is a federal program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development granted through Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care. Designed to assist income-eligible people to regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.
• Parents as Teachers (PAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence-based curriculum provider used by MIECHV and KIDS programs for home visitation services to strengthen parent/child relationships and encourage healthy child development.
• Northwest Regional Housing AgencyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic Housing Agency serving multiple counties including some UDMO service area. Provides longer-term rental assistance programs through Section 8 Voucher Programs.
• Fort Dodge Housing AgencyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic Housing Agency serving Calhoun, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster, and Wright counties with Section 8 Voucher Programs for longer-term rental assistance.
• Buena Vista UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partnership offering professional development opportunities for UDMO employees through tuition assistance or educational programs.
• Early Childhood North Central Iowa (ECNCI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for the KIDS Program which provides home visits with parents of children ages birth to age 5.
• Iowa Community Action AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association connecting Iowa's 16 community action agencies. UDMO participates in this network for advocacy, best practices sharing, and coordination.
• Community Action PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization representing approximately 1,000 community action agencies across the United States. Provides resources, advocacy, and professional development for CAAs.
• Iowa Balance of State Continuum of CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated entry system for homelessness services in Iowa. UDMO administers Coordinated Entry for its region, prioritizing those with highest barriers to housing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Iowa Community Action Association: State association connecting Iowa's 16 community action agencies for advocacy, training, and coordination. UDMO is a member; relevant as a state-level coordination body and industry convener.
• National Head Start Association: National membership organization supporting Head Start programs. Comparable in that it represents a major component of UDMO's service portfolio (Head Start / Early Head Start) and engages in federal advocacy for early childhood education funding.

Direct peers

• Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC): Community action agency serving northeast Iowa with Head Start, housing, energy, and family support programs. Operates under the same federal CAA funding model and serves a similar rural Iowa demographic.
• Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP): Iowa community action agency serving multiple counties with Head Start, LIHEAP, food assistance, and family support programs. Directly comparable as one of 16 Iowa CAAs operating under the same federal funding framework as UDMO.
• Operation Threshold: Iowa community action agency providing Head Start, WIC, food assistance, and case management across multiple counties. Peer CAA with comparable federal funding streams and service mix.
• MATURA Action Corporation: Southwest Iowa community action agency offering Head Start, energy assistance, weatherization, and self-sufficiency programs. Direct peer operating under the same Iowa CAA network and federal program guidelines.
• Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA): Iowa-based community action agency delivering Head Start, energy assistance, weatherization, food pantries, and family development services. Directly comparable as a peer CAA in the same state network serving low-income families.

Regional players

• Community Action Program for Central Arkansas: Community action agency providing Head Start, housing, energy assistance, and emergency services in central Arkansas. Comparable in service mix and federal funding structure but operates in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army: Large national nonprofit delivering food assistance, housing, energy, and emergency relief services to low-income populations. Comparable in service overlap (food pantry, housing, energy assistance) though operating at vastly greater scale and broader scope.
• Community Action Partnership: National membership organization representing approximately 1,000 community action agencies across the U.S. UDMO participates in this network; relevant as the broad incumbent/umbrella body for the CAA industry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• Facebookfacebook.com/UDMOinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/udmo2022

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Des Moines Opportunity